Heartbreaking Video Shows the Grim Reality of Poaching as Baby Rhino Mourns Its Dead Mother

We are sharing with you today perhaps the saddest wildlife video we’ve uncovered. In a YouTube video from The Telegraph, a baby rhino tries to drink milk from its mother as she lies dead. The mother was killed by a poacher for her horn. Sadly, this video reveals the harsh reality of the consequences that occur when adult rhinos are hunted for their horns.

Rescue of an Orphaned Baby Rhino

In the video, the one-month-old rhino calf’s cries can be plainly heard. Rhino mothers and babies form close bonds, and baby rhinos stay with their mothers for around four years. According to the video, when mother rhinos are killed for their horns, their babies are often killed too because they refuse to leave their mother’s side.

Fortunately for this baby, wildlife rescuers found it and were able to bring it to safety. However, the calf was afraid of humans. To calm its fears, rescuers blindfolded and sedated the calf when it was first brought to the sanctuary. The rescuers named the baby Lottie, and the video explains that Lottie is “now being taken care of.”

The Poaching Crisis – Horn Trade, Myths and Medicine

Poachers kill rhinos for their horns. Rhino horns are made of keratin, which is the same substance that makes up human nails and hair. There is no scientific evidence that rhino horns contain any medicinal value. Yet, myths endure that rhino horns have special properties. According to Save the Rhino, poachers killed 420 rhinos in South Africa in 2024.

How Rhino Sanctuaries Are Trying to Help Save the Rhino

In the video, the rhino calf was taken in by a sanctuary. Here, it received the care that it would normally get from its mother. A calf as young as one month old does not have the skills necessary to survive and is still drinking its mother’s milk. Organizations, such as the Rhino Orphanage in South Africa, help rescue and rehabilitate orphaned rhinos.

The goal for the Rhino Orphanage is to raise the calves and return them to the wild when they are old enough to survive on their own. According to the website, “Rhino calves and rhino mothers are closely bonded. Rhino babies are fiercely protected by their mothers in the wild, so when a rhino mother is killed, the rhino orphan becomes particularly vulnerable and their longevity is endangered.”